Jade
JADE: A tear of ice. By Pavel Popov There was nothing in this life that Murdock hated more than these god forsaken jungles. A lush green planet, JD-198 or “Jade” as they called it was full of life, and almost all of it was hostile to Humans to some extent. Jade was one of the planets on the path of a possible Kelk invasion, arrival of which was suggested by Human intelligence gathered over the course of the previous year. After four days of orbital reconnaissance and launching of dozens of drones, absence of any forward Kelk forces was confirmed. Small squads of infantry together with a dozen of support vehicles and walkers were dropped to ground to establish a base of operations and setup communication relays. Two months have passed since the first Human drop ship broke the clouds over one of the few plateaus not covered by thick forests. Murdock and his squad of Lancers, five men in total, were on a mission two hundred miles away from the drop site, placing communication equipment and seismic probes. Having finished the start-up procedures, Murdock stretched his back, kicked away a snake the size of a Sol dog that was aiming to bite his ankle, and contacted the base via his helmet intercom. “HQ, that’s Knight One. Probes are set, nothing special so far. Jade is still boring as hell!”. “Captain Murdock, this is Ground HQ. You have a go to return!” – the reply came immediately. They were the last team to set the equipment for the planet-wide relay web, and HQ was eager to dry-run it. The intercom buzzed silently, signaling that the frequency was changed to civilian. Murdock’s wife, or ground HQ communications officer Celine Murdock, liked to keep work and family separated. “Kevin, darling, its only two more days. After that, one week of flight, and we will see Michael, right for the time of his birthday. I love you!” – Celine was so tired of this operation, longing to see their son more than ever. “I love you too, honey!”, replied Murdock, “ETA T-3 hours. Murdock out!”. Michael. He and Celine wanted to have this baby so much, and after four years and a stillborn baby they were rewarded with a beautiful and healthy little boy. They both loved him more than anything in the world. Murdock thought about the birthday party that his mother was secretly preparing back at home, and about the present he ordered for his son before leaving for Jade – a toy laser tag blaster. That thing cost him about the same as his custom battle rifle! Hi warmly smiled at the thought of seeing his kid soon, as he laughs and puffs out the candles on the cake. Six candles in total. His smile froze with horrible realization as his armored boot stepped onto a metal plate skillfully hidden under the dense foliage. The Kelk shredder mine erupted, tearing the man's leg off and sending him flying into the nearest tree, shattering his ribs and spine on the impact. Thanks to combat drugs and implants he remained conscious, yet his vision was blurred from shellshock and his body paralyzed from the collision. Jade trees were harder than any wood found on Sol. His team was an elite force, the one to be reckoned with. Every soldier was handpicked and personally drilled by Murdock on every possible occasion. But no years of training and no armor, even the best the Human technology could buy, can help against heavy weapons shots at point blank range. Sergeant Ivanov’s head was blasted clean off, just after the man tossed a grenade into the undergrowth. Smith and Emmanuel concentrated fire on one of the shapes that moved behind trees, and brought it down, only to be turned into smoking wreckages of flesh and mangled armor in a manner of seconds. Lestate managed to roll behind a fallen tree and held for a little bit longer, but not long enough to contact HQ and report the attack. The shooting stopped and tall shapes emerged from behind the trees, holding long machine guns, barrels still smoking. They were Kelk indeed. Murdock immediately recognized the armor pattern. Hunters. The Hunt Master, his chest plate covered with combat trophies, slowly approached Murdock, while the retinue silently dragged away the bodies of dead Lancers. The Kelk lowered his head to the human and raised his helmet visor plate. His face, that of a veteran fighter, was covered in deep scars, probably left by some ferocious beast. “One thing before you die, soldier” – Human words sounded like growling as they escaped the Master’s toothy maw – “We’ve been trying to locate your main drop site for three days now. The call that you received several minutes ago was already traced to its origin. The Warlord will be pleased. Thank you” – at that moment the Master’s predatory face widened into what was undoubtedly a wicked smile” – “''Kevin''”. As the Master’s tall shape raised, turned away and melded with the shadows, as Vorkas surrounded Murdock’s battered paralyzed body, bellowing and barking in anticipation of fresh meat, at that moment he experienced a new sensation, the one that he never felt before. After nineteen years in service, after four major campaigns and countless firefights, after injuries that could have killed a lesser man, after deaths of his fiends before his eyes, the first ever tear of fear and despair ran down his cheek. And it felt cold as ice. End.